Such introspection for me began at the end of my college days – Books and essays by Herman Hess, Camus, and Kafka. Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann was a high point. Its interesting that its these books that prepared me for the Bible, to start understanding it an entirely new way. But dont miss reading Steinbeck :-)
Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
111–120 of 389 posts
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#112They aren't all self help. Some just shook my world view so much that I couldn't help but introspect, reviewing everything I believe from a new angle. I find the experience I had with each fairly intimate. I hope others may have the same experience with any book, but think that these may do it.
1. This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami
Murakami talking about his decision to become an author and also his lifelong hobby of running.
2. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris
Made me laugh for the first time in awhile.
3. The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus
Absurdity.
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#113- Gödel, Escher, Bach, Douglas Hofstadter
- Principles, Ray Dalio
- L'Etranger, Albert Camus
- Les Fleurs du Mal, Charles Baudelaire
- The Dao of Capital, Mark Spitznagel
- Howl, Allen Ginsberg
- On the Road, Jack Kerouac
I could go on and on...
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
I loved the message of self-reliance and "bearing your burden" in the book personally, it really reminded me of Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Could've done without all the religious metaphor but I understand the point of it being there.
If you want to understand why he uses religion so much as I did (I've always considered myself an atheist), his lecture series here goes into it in much greater depth: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22J3VaeABQD_IZs7y60I... He's dedicated his life in trying to explain why the atrocities of the 20th century happened and how they can be prevented. I believe he sees our rejection of religion as part of the probl…
> He's dedicated his life in trying to explain why the atrocities of the 20th century happened
Looking at what he published it seems he dedicated most of his life to researching the effects of alcoholism.
Also would you mind expanding on how he uses science to give new meaning to the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of Western society?
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
That'll be why you found it so hard. It's not really a book you can 'skim through' at all, but if you pay attention, maybe take some notes and reread the sections you may be having trouble with, you'll start to get the idea. The great thing about GEB is that Hofstadter basically assumes no prior knowledge from the beginning of the book - he just asks that you pay close attention and exercise your analytical mind. You…
“You're reading it wrong” seems like a questionable defense of any book to me, in the same way that “you're tasting that broccoli wrong” and “you're listening to Paganini incorrectly” might be. I only mention this because it hurts to see people waste weeks of their lives trying to appreciate something under duress (be it literature, music, art) or under the belief that the fault is with them rather than simply accept…
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Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#116A conflict of visions, Sapiens, Crime and Punishment and http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/alexandersolzhenits.... I've always been introspective but also was significantly less open minded than I imagined myself to be. These books opened me up to experience introspection in better ways. I think Solzhenitsyn's address is the one that really made a huge difference. My Russian boss pointed me to it :).
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#117Since nobody's recommended The Prophet yet, I'll give it a mention. In my circles, and maybe yours, it's become a bit of a bad joke, the kind of thing that gets mined for quotes to read at a wedding. But while it's quite brief, it covers all the big themes in life, and whether you agree with it or not it can give you a structure for thinking about them.
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
I loved the message of self-reliance and "bearing your burden" in the book personally, it really reminded me of Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Could've done without all the religious metaphor but I understand the point of it being there.
If you want to understand why he uses religion so much as I did (I've always considered myself an atheist), his lecture series here goes into it in much greater depth: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22J3VaeABQD_IZs7y60I... He's dedicated his life in trying to explain why the atrocities of the 20th century happened and how they can be prevented. I believe he sees our rejection of religion as part of the probl…
But still that means he wants to believe in something that does not exist. The fact that we depend on God and religion is what actually takes our sight out of what is right in front of us which is family, kids, neighbors, little things, etc. Why do we need to attribute these things to God? Can’t we all be nice to each other without God?
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#119Welcome to the club! The same happened to me 3 years ago. At that time I also started reading "Man's search for meaning".
The following book had the biggest impact on my world view:
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation, by Thich Nhat Hanh
I personally don't believe in any religious things, and I still don't. But now I look at the world differently.
Buddhism is know for reincarnation, which looks a bit silly to me. But as this book points out, it is not reincarnation, but rebirth in (Zen) Buddhism. Both are completely different. There is nothing silly about rebirth, and it's actually more accurate that how we, as individualistic westerners, view the world.
As someone who loves science, after reading this book, I have a more realistic view on the world than I had before, and than most of my rational friends right now.
The (Zen) Buddhism in this book is not so much a religion with believes, but more a philosophy on how to look at life and the world.
Re: Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?
#120If I'm being honest, I read a lot of books, but the only one I can think of really substantially changing my worldview was the Bible. Since you probably do not want to read the entire thing I am particularly a fan of Ecclesiastes, and maybe you could try some of the gospels if you still have steam after that.
A couple related suggestions: - https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-God-Way-St-Benedict/dp/081461... - If you're religious, this book is great. If you're not, I think you can still take away from it the values of balance in life, being open to life's changes, and doing daily routines with love. - https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Storey-Mountain-Thomas-Merton/d... - It's meant by the author as a sort of confessions for the 20t…
Interesting suggestions. I actually read Saint Augustine's Confessions, which was an interesting book in that parts were very poignant and parts were really kind of ponderous considerations of, like, the nature of time.